三五成群 sān wǔ chéng qún in groups of three or five

Explanation

指几个人、几个人在一起，通常用来形容人们在社交或生活中结伴而行的情况。

Refers to several people gathering together. It is often used to describe people in social or daily life when they get together.

Origin Story

在一个阳光明媚的下午，一群孩子三五成群地走在回家的路上。他们一路欢声笑语，分享着一天的趣事。其中一个小女孩，叫小红，她手里拿着一朵野花，开心地和同伴们说着话。突然，她发现路边有一棵树，树枝上挂着许多红红的果子，看起来十分诱人。小红的眼睛一亮，兴奋地对同伴们说：“快看，那里有果子！”于是，孩子们三五成群地围着那棵树，你争我抢地摘果子。小红也摘了一颗，放进嘴里尝了一口，酸酸甜甜的味道让她忍不住又摘了几颗。孩子们玩得很开心，他们三五成群地分享着果子，享受着午后阳光的温暖。

zài yī gè yáng guāng míng mèi de xià wǔ, yī qún hái zi sān wǔ chéng qún de zǒu zài huí jiā de lù shàng. tā men yī lù huān shēng xiào yǔ, fēn xiǎng zhe yī tiān de qù shì. qí zhōng yī gè xiǎo nǚ hái, jiào xiǎo hóng, tā shǒu lǐ ná zhe yī duǒ yě huā, kāi xīn de hé tóng bàn men shuō zhe huà. tú rán, tā fā xiàn lù biān yǒu yī kē shù, shù zhī shàng guà zhe xǔ duō hóng hóng de guǒ zi, kàn qǐ lái shí fēn yòu rén. xiǎo hóng de yǎn jīng yī liàng, xīng fèn de duì tóng bàn men shuō: “kuài kàn, nà lǐ yǒu guǒ zi!” yú shì, hái zi men sān wǔ chéng qún de wéi zhe nà kē shù, nǐ zhēng wǒ qiǎng de zhāi guǒ zi. xiǎo hóng yě zhāi le yī kē, fàng jìn zuǐ lǐ cháng le yī kǒu, suān suān tián tián de wèi dào ràng tā bù néng rèn zhù yòu zhāi le jǐ kē. hái zi men wán de hěn kāi xīn, tā men sān wǔ chéng qún de fēn xiǎng zhe guǒ zi, xiǎng shòu zhe wǔ hòu yáng guāng de wēn nuǎn.

On a sunny afternoon, a group of children were walking home in groups of three or five. They were laughing and sharing the funny things of the day. One of the little girls, named Xiaohong, had a wildflower in her hand and was happily talking to her friends. Suddenly, she noticed a tree by the roadside, on the branches of which hung many red fruits, which looked very tempting. Xiaohong’s eyes lit up and she excitedly said to her friends, “Look, there are fruits!” So the children gathered around the tree in small groups and eagerly picked the fruits. Xiaohong also picked one and put it in her mouth. The sweet and sour taste made her pick several more. The children had a lot of fun, they shared the fruit in small groups and enjoyed the warmth of the afternoon sun.

Usage

用于描述人们结伴而行或聚集在一起的情形，常用于日常口语中，也用于书面表达中，体现一种群体性的活动或行为。

yòng yú miáo shuǐ rén men jié bàn ér xíng huò jí jù zài yī qǐ de qíng xíng, cháng yòng yú rì cháng kǒu yǔ zhōng, yě yòng yú shū miàn biǎo dá zhōng, tiǎn xiàn yī zhǒng qún tǐ xìng de huó dòng huò xíng wéi.

Used to describe people getting together or gathering in groups. It is often used in everyday spoken language, but also in written expression, reflecting a group activity or behavior.

Examples

• 孩子们三五成群地玩耍着。

  hái zǐ men sān wǔ chéng qún de wán shuǎi zhe.

  The children played in groups of three or five.

• 这群年轻人三五成群，谈天说地。

  zhè qún nián qīng rén sān wǔ chéng qún, tán tiān shuō dì.

  The young people were chatting in groups of three or five.

• 放学后，同学们三五成群地去公园玩。

  fàng xué hòu, tóng xué men sān wǔ chéng qún de qù gōng yuán wán.

  After school, the students went to the park to play in groups of three or five.

Related Idioms

• 成群结队

• 鱼贯而入

• 熙熙攘攘

Opposite Idioms

• 形单影只

• 独来独往

• 门可罗雀